Reading Aloud, Play, and Social-Emotional Development

Alan L Mendelsohn; Carolyn Brockmeyer Cates; Adriana Weisleder; Samantha Berkule Johnson; Anne M Seery; Caitlin F Canfield; Harris S Huberman; Benard P Dreyer

doi:10.1542/peds.2017-3393

Reading Aloud, Play, and Social-Emotional Development

Pediatrics. 2018 May;141(5):e20173393. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-3393. Epub 2018 Apr 9.

Authors

Alan L Mendelsohn¹, Carolyn Brockmeyer Cates², Adriana Weisleder^{2

3}, Samantha Berkule Johnson², Anne M Seery², Caitlin F Canfield², Harris S Huberman⁴, Benard P Dreyer²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, New York University and Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, New York; alan.mendelsohn@nyumc.org.
² Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, New York University and Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, New York.
³ Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois; and.
⁴ Department of Pediatrics, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York.

Abstract

Objectives: To determine impacts on social-emotional development at school entry of a pediatric primary care intervention (Video Interaction Project [VIP]) promoting positive parenting through reading aloud and play, delivered in 2 phases: infant through toddler (VIP birth to 3 years [VIP 0-3]) and preschool-age (VIP 3 to 5 years [VIP 3-5]).

Methods: Factorial randomized controlled trial with postpartum enrollment and random assignment to VIP 0-3, control 0 to 3 years, and a third group without school entry follow-up (Building Blocks) and 3-year second random assignment of VIP 0-3 and control 0 to 3 years to VIP 3-5 or control 3 to 5 years. In the VIP, a bilingual facilitator video recorded the parent and child reading and/or playing using provided learning materials and reviewed videos to reinforce positive interactions. Social-emotional development at 4.5 years was assessed by parent-report Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (Social Skills, Attention Problems, Hyperactivity, Aggression, Externalizing Problems).

Results: VIP 0-3 and VIP 3-5 were independently associated with improved 4.5-year Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition T-scores, with effect sizes (Cohen's d) ∼-0.25 to -0.30. Receipt of combined VIP 0-3 and VIP 3-5 was associated with d = -0.63 reduction in Hyperactivity (P = .001). VIP 0-3 resulted in reduced "Clinically Significant" Hyperactivity (relative risk reduction for overall sample: 69.2%; P = .03; relative risk reduction for increased psychosocial risk: 100%; P = .006). Multilevel models revealed significant VIP 0-3 linear effects and age × VIP 3-5 interactions.

Conclusions: Phase VIP 0-3 resulted in sustained impacts on behavior problems 1.5 years after program completion. VIP 3-5 had additional, independent impacts. With our findings, we support the use of pediatric primary care to promote reading aloud and play from birth to 5 years, and the potential for such programs to enhance social-emotional development.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00212576.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child Development*
Child, Preschool
Follow-Up Studies
Hospitals, Public
Humans
Infant
New York
Parent-Child Relations*
Parenting
Parents / education
Play and Playthings*
Reading*
Single-Blind Method
Social Change*
Urban Population

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT00212576

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Associated data

Grants and funding